Dr. Daniel C.S. Han M.D.

Dr. Daniel C.S. Han, M.D. Valparaiso Dr. Daniel C.S. Han, M.D., age 81, of Valparaiso, passed away Saturday, May 28, 2005 at St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart. He is survived by his loving wife, Grace, of 52 years; his children: Diana (Mark) Han Bowler of Danville, CA, Dr. Cynthia Beth Han of Naperville, IL and Dr. Dennis (Dr. Amy) Han of IN; grandchildren: Melissa and Danielle Bowler, Nicola and Daniel Han. Preceded in death by his parents, Rev. Chroung Yee Han and Zheng; sister, Rebecca Han of Tuscon, AZ; brother Joseph Han of Kaideng, China. Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 4, 2005 at 10:30 a.m. from Christ Community Church, 7983 Grand Blvd. (Rt. 51), Hobart with Pastor David Shoaf officiating. Burial will take place at Calumet Park Cemetery, Merrillville. Visitation will be held Saturday, June 4, 2005 DIRECTLY at church from 9:00-10:30 a.m. Calumet Park Funeral Chapel entrusted with the arrangements. In 1950, Daniel Han, having received his medical degree in China as a Presidential Scholar, immigrated to the United States to pursue a general surgery residency at Baylor University in Texas. The son of a minister, his dream was to return to China as a medical missionary, and he chose general surgery because he thought it would be the most useful training to help people in rural China. Unfortunately, when the communists overtook China and closed off the country to the outside world, this dream soon faded. When it became clear he could not return to China, Dr. Han continued on to a residency in pathology. Following residency, he did a fellowship in surgical pathology and hepatology at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C., considered one of the world's top academic centers for pathology. In 1962, Dr. Han, with his young family, moved to Northwest Indiana and joined the staff of Methodist Hospital in Gary, eventually becoming chief of pathology. He was a founding member and past president of the Asian American Medical Association. Among his achievements, Dr. Han started the first cancer registry in Northwest Indiana. He initiated Northwest Indiana's first hospital cancer conferences. He obtained funding from the American Cancer Society for Methodist's cancer programs and served on the Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society in Indiana. Dr. Han was also a leader in medical education in Northwest Indiana. He was the director of Methodist's pathology residency program, training a generation of pathologists. When Indiana University Northwest's Medical Laboratory Technology program lost its accreditation, Dr. Han was asked to become its medical director and, within two years, he regained its accreditation. He was the medical director until his retirement. After his retirement, Dr. Han was invited yearly to teach scores of pathology residents at universities in Taiwan and China. In Northwest Indiana, Dr. Han was considered to be one of the best pathologists of his generation. However, he was best known for being a kind and generous gentleman who was always considerate of others and their needs. He would have made a wonderful medical missionary. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Chinalight Foundation c/o Pacific RIM Financial Corp., 2150 California St., Mountain View, CA 94040.